Eric's Fight Against Pancreatic Cancer

Hi, my name is Austin Laxdal, and together with the help of my father, Jim Laxdal - Interlake Refrigeration & A/C, and Ashern's own, Nolan Thage - Dodds Siding Inc., we seek funds to help our friend Eric Gallwey with expenses related to his battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Like most cancer patients, Eric has had to step away from work, leaving his wife, Trish, to be the main provider for him and his two teenage sons (Nicholas & Marcus). Eric is the strongest person I know; he is the last person I would have thought cancer could get its nasty grip on. At only 41 years old, Eric's world has been flipped upside down. Eric has been diagnosed with a highly advanced malignancy, the cancer is stage 4 and is moving quickly from his pancreas to his liver. His days are spent putting on the miles back and forth from Ashern to Winnipeg (364kms round-trip) for aggressive chemotherapy intended to prolong Eric’s life. He has also found support from a holistic medicine centre in Saskatchewan that has costly treatments and supplements. Any funds raised here will help pay for monthly bills that are piling up, travelling & medical expenses, and to help care for his young family.

Eric has worked in the sheet metal/HVAC industry and has often worked seven days a week to provide for his family. When we first met Eric, he was working at DNR Metal Fabricators. Years later, he was my boss at Great West Ventilation. Eric says no to no one; he was often called in when someone needed the impossible done. There was never a job too dirty or challenging enough to stall Eric from putting in 110%. In Eric’s final chapter of his HVAC career, he had been managing large projects in Thompson, Manitoba. During one of the many trips up north, he came across a small acreage in Ashern, where he moved the family and immediately fell in love with the rural peacefulness.

Nolan & Dana Thage - Owners of Dodds Siding Inc., welcomed Eric into the farming community and allowed him to learn and help operate Nolan’s fertilizer plant for a few seasons. Eric spent many long days organizing fertilizer, operating forklifts and delivering essential land supplements to farmers around the Interlake. Eric enjoyed getting to know the community and local farmers, which led him to meet John Shultz.

At the Little Rock Ranch, owned and operated in Moosehorn by John & Twila Shultz, Eric had the chance to learn and grow into someone who loves working the land, operating some of the biggest equipment he has ever driven, and working with cattle. Eric notes that delivering calves was a highlight of his employment; he enjoys the satisfying feeling of watching them grow and thrive.

A note from Eric: “I’ve enjoyed contributing to our community’s farming industry in the short seven years we have been here in the Ashern/Moosehorn area, and I have no regrets in my life. As a family, we try our best to help anyone in need, and I appreciate what you are doing here”.

Eric's dream was always to move into the country and herd goats, while he hasn't yet had the chance to raise any goats himself, he has acquired a small pack of stray dogs who love Eric as much as he loves them. Any donation, may it be big or small, will go a long way to help Eric battle against the disease that is quickly taking its toll on his body. Eric is in great spirits and is not one to step away from a challenge; anyone who knows Eric knows that he will fight with every ounce of his being against this evil disease.

If you are unable to donate, there are other ways to help; please share this far and wide with as many friends as you can so that we can help the fellow who has helped us all. In a time of need, we as a community need to band together to help our own. If you want to send Eric well wishes, please send them here on the GoFundMe page. We appreciate your support.